January 5, 2004

On Thursday, May 6, Theatrical Outfit will celebrate the beginning of renovation on the Herren's Restaurant building (84 Luckie Street) to create its new theater home for the 27-year-old professional theater company.

In place of a traditional "ground-breaking", Theatrical Outfit will conduct a "beam signing" and short press conference at 11 a.m. in front of the Herren's site. The first steel girder slated to go into the building, as part of the renovation will be signed by a number of Atlanta leaders and arts supporters. In attendance will be Mr. and Mrs. Ed Negri (the former owners of Herren's), business and civic leaders and elected officials, Theatrical Outfit board of directors, patrons and supporters.

Event schedule:

• 10:30 coffee and cinnamon rolls (made from Herren's recipe) check-in
• 11:00 Tom Key welcomes and introduces honored guests
• 11:15 Dignitaries and major funders sign the beam
• 11:25 Beam signing continues for all interested

Theatrical Outfit is conducting a capital campaign to renovate the historic Herren's building into a state-of-the-art 200+ seat theater space and company headquarters. To date more than $5 million has been raised for the project. The May 6th event will launch the public portion of the campaign to raised the reminder of the funds needed to complete the campaign.

The May 6 event will celebrate the rich history of Herren's, as well as Theatrical Outfit's future as a leader in Downtown Atlanta's cultural landscape.

Rendering of Balzer Theater at Herren's facade,
after renovations complete

The Campaign Progress

In 2002, Mr. and Mrs. Bill Balzer donated the lead gift of $1.375 million to purchase the building and to begin an endowment for the long-term maintenance of the theater facility. In late 2002, Theatrical Outfit received a $750,000 challenge grant from the Robert Woodruff Foundation with a deadline of December 31, 2003, that the organization received in early 2004 when they met a goal of $4.9 million. Also in 2003, Theatrical Outfit received a grant from an anonymous donor which allowed the organization to plan an environmentally friendly and energy efficient building adhering to a national green building standard called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

LEED Certification

It is believed that Theatrical Outfit's new home will be the first LEED-Certified theater in the nation, as well as being the first LEED structure in Downtown Atlanta. By building to LEED standards, the theater will greatly reduce its energy use and utility expense on a day-to-day basis and will provide the healthiest possible environment for patrons and company members alike.

Herren's Place in Atlanta's History

Herren's Restaurant was opened in 1934 by prizefighter Charlie "Red" Herren in the midst of Atlanta's financial district. In 1939, Guido Negri bought the restaurant and made improvements, which included air-conditioning. When Guide died in 1942, his widow Amalia ran the business through the end of world War II, despite war rationing. Their son Ed, a Georgia Tech graduate, joined the business upon his return from the Army Air Corps. Through the 1940's and 50's, Herren's became "Atlanta's Place to Meet" and remained one of Downtown's finest restaurants. In 1962, Herrens was the first Atlanta restaurant to voluntarily desegregate, leading the way among a select group of establishments that peacefully opened their doors to all Atlantans. The restaurant remained in operation until 1987, completing an amazing 53-year history.

Design work on the planning of the renovation has been carried out by the architectural firm of Surber, Barber, Choate and Hertlein. The general contractor on the project will be Gay Construction Company. In addition to the theater space itself, the building will include office space, storage space, and rehearsal space (which Theatrical Outfit intends to share with other local arts groups).

In December 2002, the Woodruff Foundation granted Theatrical Outfit $750,000 on the condition that the organization raise the balance of $4.9 million by December 2003. After a year-long capital campaign, Theatrical Outfit managed to exceed the fundraising goal and are doing well raising the entire amount needed to complete the building project in total.

A anonymous donor from the Kendeda Fund is funding a plan to make the building "green" -- highly energy efficient, with healthy indoor air, and with minimal impact on the environment. The Balzer Theater at Herren's is likely to be the first theater in the United States built to such standards.

The capital campaign will continue throughout 2004, as well planning for the first season at the theater. One the biggest advantages of the company having its own theater is that they can now mount shows that can run from four to eight weeks, extend hits and develop new work.